Love Among Pain
by TheXtremeFangirl
Summary: Regina Mills hadn't ever wanted to go back to Storybrooke, Maine. There were too many painful memories there for her. But when both her brother and sister are getting married? She had no choice but to return to her home and face her demons...most specifically her exes. *Past Swan Queen and Dragon Queen with a probable Dragon Queen endgame
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so new story. I know I don't need any new stories, but...oh well. Got the idea from an Outlaw Queen story I read, but this takes a whole different road. Anyway, some notes:**

 **Cora and Rumple are Regina's parents (I love Golden Heart, as many may already know)**

 **Zelena and Neal are their two other children, Neal being oldest and Zelena being the middle child**

Regina Mills had hoped to never set foot back into her hometown of Storybrooke, Maine. She _hadn't_ been back there in six years. The last time she'd been there was when her son Henry was four. She had just broken up with her girlfriend Maleficent, her parents had been fighting, her siblings were never around, and she'd found out that her so-called best friends had been hanging out with her cheating first ex Emma. So she'd left. Packed hers and Henry's bags, ignored the pleas from her family, and left. She had been 19.

Of course, her family had gotten better. Cora and Rumple's fight hadn't been terribly serious in the first place, though it had been stressful. Neal and Zelena visited their parents more, and all four of them visited Regina and Henry whenever they could. But that didn't change the painful memories Storybrooke held for Regina, so she never visited the town. But now she had no choice.

Both her brother and her sister were getting married. Now 25, Regina had expressed to her mother the ridiculousness of her siblings having their weddings within a week of one another, and Cora had agreed. However, neither Neal nor Zelena would change their date. So now Regina was being forced to pack her bags and go back to Storybrooke for two weeks.

She would have to spend the first week helping to prepare for Zelena's wedding to Regina's only remaining loyal best friend Robin on Sunday (which she was the maid of honor in), and the second week would be spent preparing for Neal's wedding to a he'd met online named Tamara on the following Saturday. She sighed as she zipped up her bag.

"Henry, are you ready yet?" she called as she began looking for her favorite boots. Henry appeared in the doorway.

"Yeah. I put my stuff in the car already like you asked." he answered.

"Good. Thank you. Do you know where my boots are?" she asked.

"The black stilettoes?" he checked.

"Mhm." his mother replied.

"I think Aunt Zelena took them last time she was here." Henry said. Regina growled quietly.

"Be glad you don't have siblings to steal your stuff." she muttered, slipping on her black pumps instead. Within the next ten minutes, mother and son were on the road from Manhattan to Maine.

*6 hours later*

Regina pulled the car into her parents' driveway. Cora was outside to greet them already.

"Hello my love." she said, hugging Regina.

"Hi mama." Regina allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

"I know you don't want to be here darling, but it means so much to your brother and sister for you to be in the weddings." her mother said gently.

"Wedding _s_? As in plural?" Regina asked as Henry got out of the car.

"Well yes dear. Neal didn't tell you? Tamara has no family, so they want you to be the maid of honor for theirs as well." Cora said.

"Grandma!" Henry cried enthusiastically, hugging Cora.

"Hello dear! It's been so long!" Cora smiled. Regina sighed as she followed them into the house.

' _This is going to be a long two weeks._ ' she thought.

"Gina!" a squeal came from the living room. Regina plastered a big smile on her face as she came face to face with her sister.

"Zellie!" she put as much enthusiasm as she could into the childhood nickname. The older, redheaded woman threw her arms around her younger sister.

"Oh it's so good to see you! We have so much to do!" Zelena grinned happily.

"Yep. But before we do anything, I want my boots back." The raven haired woman told her sister. Zelena grinned sheepishly.

"Oh yeah. I'll go get them." she said before bounding up the stairs.

"She has way too much energy." Neal appeared in the doorway that led to the kitchen.

"I remember you were like that once too." Regina teased. Neal smiled and opened his arms. His little sister stepped into them, and they shared a hug. Henry had already occupied himself with the Wii that was at the house for whenever Neal and Zelena visited.

"Where's daddy?" Regina asked.

"Work." Cora answered with a roll of her eyes as she came to stand beside them. "He's still pouting about Zelena getting married." Neal snorted.

"If he's like this with Zelena, I can only imagine how he's going to be if baby Regina ever gets married." he snickered.

"Dear God help me when you do get married Regina." Cora muttered.

"You don't have to worry about that mama." Regina told her.

"It'll happen one day baby." Cora countered.

"What will happen one day?" Regina spun around, her face lighting up.

"Daddy!" she hugged her father tightly.

"Hello baby girl." Rumple smiled. "Now, what will happen one day?"

"Nothing!" Cora, Regina, and Neal all yelled at once. Rumple gave them a strange look. Cora smiled nervously and ducked into the kitchen to check on dinner. Rumple followed her, claiming to be getting something to drink. Regina and Neal knew from experience not to follow because their parents would likely be displaying more affection than they wanted to see.

"So when do I get to meet your bride to be?" Regina asked. Neal had never brought Tamara on any of the trips to see her, and the two of them never talked about Tamara together.

"Well ma's planning a big dinner before Zel's wedding, so then I guess." Neal scratched the back of his neck, letting Regina know he was hiding something.

"What's up?" she demanded, arms folded across her chest. "How long have you been going out with this woman anyway?" Her brother sighed.

"Three and a half months." he admitted. Regina's jaw dropped.

"Three and a half months?! You're getting married after going out with someone for only three and a half months?!"

"Would you keep your voice down?" Neal snapped. "No one else thinks it's a big deal." Regina scoffed.

"Oh, they think it's a big deal. They're all just too nice to say it." she spat.

"Regina-" Neal started, but Regina cut him off.

"How much do you really know about this woman? I mean seriously, how do you know she's not lying about who she is, where she's from, about her family?"

"Regina-" he started again, getting annoyed.

"How do you know she's not going to turn out to be someone who gets bored with you after a couple years and is going to cheat on you? Or someone who says she loves you then doesn't even support you in the things you wanna do? Or-" This time Neal cut _her_ off.

"For God's sake Regina, this is my fiancee we're talking about, not one of your crappy ex-girlfriends!" he yelled. The whole house went silent. Cora and Rumple looked out the kitchen door. Henry looked up from his game. Zelena listened from the stairs. Regina's eyes filled with tears that she refused to let fall. Her face hardened into a stone cold mask, something it hadn't done since her breakup with Maleficent. She didn't say anything.

Just walked out the front door.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina had opted to walk through town rather than drive. She thought the fresh air would help calm her down. She couldn't believe Neal would say that to her. He knew how much those relationships had hurt her! She'd just been afraid for him. She hadn't wanted him to get hurt like she had. She walked and walked until she somehow ended up in front of Granny's.

She hadn't wanted to go there. Ruby had been one of her best friends, only for Regina to find out that she, Lily, and even Tink had been spending time with Emma behind her back. Oh well. Regina missed Granny and her cooking, so she took a deep breath and walked into the diner. All conversations halted, and everyone turned to look at her. In fact, Ruby, Lily, and Tink were sitting in a booth together when she walked in. However, she simply held her head high and marched straight over to Granny at the counter.

"Regina Leann Mills, where on earth have you been child?" the old woman asked, throwing her towel down and walking around the counter to hug the younger woman. Regina smiled. Granny had always been like a grandmother to her, and she'd even threatened Regina with her wooden spoon the day she'd been told the girl was leaving.

"I'm sorry I haven't visited Granny." the young woman apologized once they pulled back. Granny pointed her wooden spoon at Regina.

"Child, you've been gone for six years with not so much as a phone call back home. I oughta beat you right here, right now." she said, though Regina could see the playful spark in her eyes. Granny knew all about the painful things Regina had been through.

"I know Granny. I'm sorry. But Henry's here, and he's real excited to see everyone, though I'm sure he doesn't remember many people." Regina smiled. Granny nodded.

"Well, I'm sure excited to see him too. Now I'm gonna go back there and fix you your lasagna." she said with a wink.

"You remembered." Regina grinned.

"Course I did child. It's all you'd eat for six months after you first had it." Granny laughed as she retreated into the kitchen. Regina cautiously sat down at the counter. She didn't want to stay for too long, but Granny's lasagna took time. She closed her eyes as she heard three sets of heels come up behind her. After a moment she turned around, staring into the faces of her three former best friends.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"It's good to see you Regina." Tink said.

"Oh yes, I'm sure." the raven haired woman replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Regina, come on. Don't be like that." Ruby pleaded.

"Be like what Ruby?" Regina asked innocently.

"It's been six years. You can't still be mad at us for being friends with Emma." Lily snapped.

"Oh I can, and I am. You knew how badly she hurt me, and you snuck around with her behind my back anyway." Regina snapped back. At that moment, Granny came back out, lasagna in hand.

"Girls, don't go starting anything." the woman warned, setting the plate down in front of Regina. She took a look at Regina. "You want this to go instead honey?" Regina nodded, not trusting her voice anymore. Granny placed the food into a container and then into a bag.

"Don't be a stranger hon." the old woman said gently, handing the bag to Regina. The girl in question nodded as she stood up.

"Thanks Granny." she said softly before leaving the diner. She took her food to the docks and sat down cross legged on the edge, staring out at the water. She ate slowly, not ready to have to return to her parents' house. She stiffened when she heard footsteps behind her. She only knew of one person who would be out at the docks this late other than her, and she hated him with a passion.

"Hello lass. Long time no see." Regina scowled, refusing to turn around.

"Go. Away." she growled.

"Now why would I do that?"

"Because if you don't, I won't be responsible for your injuries." she snapped, finally turning to face her unwanted company. Killian Jones grinned down at her.

"I'm not worried lass." he said arrogantly.

"Why don't you go back to the hole you crawled out of?" Regina said, standing and starting to walk away.

"Where do ya think you're goin'?" Killian asked, grabbing her arm and pulling her to his chest. Regina growled and shoved him hard, sending him backwards and off the end of the dock. He came back up sputtering angrily.

"Have a nice swim." she taunted before heading back to her parents' house. She arrived quicker than she'd wanted and opened the door, hoping everyone had gone to bed. She saw no sign of Neal, Zelena, or even Henry as she walked into the foyer. However as she reached the living room, she spotted Cora and Rumple curled up together on the couch, a movie playing softly on the TV.

"Hi mama, daddy." she said quietly. Her parents looked up from their movie.

"Hello darling. Are you feeling better?" Cora asked, moving the blanket off of her legs so she could stand. Regina shrugged.

"A little I guess. I went and saw Granny. Had some lasagna for dinner." she said.

"Darling, Neal didn't mean to hurt you." Cora told her.

"He was just frustrated." Rumple added, moving to stand beside his wife.

"I know, but it still hurt." Regina replied. "I think I'm just gonna go to bed. Sleep things off." She kissed them both and went upstairs, crawling into her old bed. Despite her head fighting to keep her from admitting it, she felt more at home back in her room in Storybrooke than she had in the last six years in Manhattan.

*The next morning*

Regina dragged herself out of bed and slowly got dressed in dark skinny jeans with a teal tank top. She saw her favorite boots in the corner and blessed Zelena in her head before slipping them on. She then went into the bathroom, did her morning routine, including her makeup, and proceeded downstairs. The smell of fresh coffee greeted her as she entered the kitchen.

"God bless you mother." she said, inhaling the scent. Cora laughed, handing her youngest child a coffee mug. Regina immediately poured herself a healthy amount of coffee, closing her eyes as she sipped it.

"I have missed your coffee so much mama." she murmered. At that moment, Zelena and Neal both entered the kitchen. She glanced at them but didn't say a word.

"Morning." Neal finally said.

"Morning." she replied, no emotion evident in her voice. "Mama, I'm taking Henry around town today. He hasn't experienced Granny's cooking since he was four, so I'm gonna take him to the diner for breakfast." Cora nodded, saddened that her children were fighting. Regina set her coffee down on the counter and walked past her siblings.

"Henry, let's go!" she called. The ten year old bounded down the stairs, excitement all over his face. Regina smiled and put an arm around his shoulders before leading him outside.

They made it to Granny's fairly quickly and went inside. There were a few more people in the diner than the day before, but one in particular stood out to Regina. Maleficent. She was sitting in a booth in the back, alone. Her blonde hair was loose, falling down to her shoulders. Her lips were their customary red, and her eyes were still as ice blue as Regina remembered them. They made eye contact, and Regina looked away quickly.

"Regina!" Granny walked around the counter, a smile on her face. "And Henry! My you've grown since I last saw you."

"Hi! I think I remember you. You always gave me ice cream when I was upset." he grinned. Granny laughed.

"That's right. Your mama'd always complain, but she was happy you stopped crying." she said with a pointed look at Regina, who also laughed.

"What can I getcha?" she then asked.

"Two breakfast specials." Regina answered. Granny nodded.

"Ruby! Two breakfast specials A.S.A.P. girl!" she called into the back.

"Yes Granny!" Ruby called back. She glanced at Regina and Henry, wondering if Regina would let her meet him again.

"Henry, why don't you go grab us a table?" Regina suggested. The boy nodded and walked off towards the booths. He wandered toward Mal's booth. The blonde slowly looked at him.

"You know, I remember just about everyone in this town at least a little bit. But I remember you the most." he said. "Ya know, other than my grandparents, aunt, and uncle."

"Really?" she asked. Henry nodded, sliding into the other side of the booth.

"I was little, but I still remember you really well. I grew up for four years calling you mama. Mom really loved you." he recalled. Mal bit her lip and looked down at the table.

"I really loved her too." she whispered.

"Well you had a real funny way of showing it." Mal's head snapped up, and she stared into the angry brown eyes of Regina.

"Henry, we're moving over here." the raven haired woman said, never taking her eyes off of Mal. Henry sighed and nodded before getting up.

"It was good to see you again Henry." Mal said. He smiled.

"You too mama." he replied, making her smile softly. Regina scowled and pushed him along.

"Mom, calm down please." Henry pleaded.

"Henry, you don't understand what happened in this town. You don't understand why we left, okay?" Regina snapped. He looked down and nodded. Regina sighed.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly.

"I know." Henry replied, equally as quiet. At that moment, Ruby delivered their breakfasts.

"Hey. You're Ruby, right?" Henry asked.

"That's right kid. It's good to see you." Ruby smiled.

"You too." he smiled back at her.

"She was one of your best friends." he said to Regina as Ruby walked away. His mother nodded.

"Yes. She was." she confirmed.

"And the others were Lily, Tink, and Robin." Again, she nodded.

"How come you guys stopped being friends?" Regina sighed.

"It's complicated." Her phone beeped, and she pulled it out, reading the text from Zelena.

 _COME HOME! WEDDING EMERGENCY!_

Regina rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry bud, but we've gotta go. Your aunt's having some panic attack about some kind of wedding emergency." she said. Henry's face fell.

"But I really wanted to hang out in town today." he said sadly.

"I know buddy. I'm really sorry." Regina replied, upset that she couldn't giver her son what he wanted.

"I can watch him." Regina looked up, meeting Mal's ice blue eyes. She looked over at Henry. His face was bright and hopeful, his eyes pleading. She sighed.

"Okay. You can stay with her until I help Zelena figure out whatever it is she's messed up." she relented.

"Yes!" her son fist pumped the air before jumping up and hugging Mal, who tentatively hugged him back.

"Do. Not. Hurt him." Regina warned as she stood up to leave. Mal nodded, understanding the underlying meaning.

Don't break his heart like you did mine.


	3. Chapter 3

Maleficent slid into the booth, taking Regina's place for the time being. She looked at the boy she'd once called her son, taking in his brown hair and brown eyes, mirroring the same hope and love she'd once seen in Regina's eyes.

"So what happened between you and mom?" Henry asked immediately.

"She hasn't told you?" Mal asked. He shook his head.

"Well dear, if she hasn't told you, then she obviously doesn't want you to know." she said gently. He sighed and nodded. The bell above the door jingled, and two other women walked in, one with blonde hair and one with brown. They made their way over to the counter and had a short conversation with Ruby before the three of them made it over to the table Henry and Maleficent were at.

"Hello." the blonde said.

"Hi." Henry replied. "You're Tink right? And you're Lily?"

"Uh, yeah. Nice memory kid." Lily answered.

"Thanks." Henry smiled. Then the bell jingled again, making him look up. Another blonde entered the diner. She scanned the room before her eyes landed on him, and she made her way over.

"Hey, kid. Thought the rumors weren't gonna be true, but wow." she said.

"Don't." Mal warned the other blonde, who held her hands up in surrender.

"You're Emma, right?" Henry asked.

"That's right kid." Emma answered.

"I remember you pretty well. You were always fighting with my moms." he told her. Emma's eyes darkened slightly.

"Yeah well, none of us had our heads on real straight back then." she replied.

"Emma stop it. You know very well, we were all thinking perfectly clearly back then." Mal snapped.

"Yes, we were." Everyone turned at the sound of Regina's voice. No one had even heard the bell.

"Hello Regina. Long time, no see." Emma nearly sneered.

"Not long enough." Regina replied easily. "Let's go Henry." The boy slid out of the booth and hugged Mal quickly before going over to his mother.

"I thought you might like to see your old playground again." Regina suggested, running a hand through his hair. Henry grinned.

"Sounds cool! Let's go!" he said excitedly, making her laugh as he pulled her toward the door. Mal stared wistfully after them, wishing she could be part of their little family. Lily and Tink slid into the other side of the booth while Emma made Mal move over so she could slide in with her.

"Don't think about it too much Mal." Tink said gently.

"I could've made her happy." Mal whispered. Emma frowned.

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore because you're mine now." she said, grabbing the other blonde's hand. Mal nodded but stayed silent.

These two weeks were really going to suck.

*At the playground*

Henry climbed up into his 'castle', as he'd always called it, and sat down, motioning for Regina to join him. Once she did, he let the question that had been burning in his mind fly.

"What happened between you and Emma?" he asked. "And please don't say that you'll tell me when I'm older. I'm old enough now." Regina sighed.

"You're right. You are." she said, running a hand through her hair.

"I know it's hard for you mom, but I deserve to know why we left the coolest place ever." Henry pressed. His mother laughed.

"Coolest place ever huh? Your grandmother'd have a field day with that statement. Use it against me to try and make me come home." she told him. "Alright, I'll tell you. But you've gotta promise you're not gonna go off on some mission to fix any relationships, platonic or otherwise, okay?"

"I promise." Henry nodded. Regina took a deep breath and began.

"I started dating Emma when we were thirteen. We had fun together, and after a while, I believed that I loved her and that she loved me. But maybe two weeks after we both turned fifteen...I found out she was cheating on me. With a guy named Killian Jones. So, I broke things off with her and went on vacation for spring break with Mal, Tink, Lily, and Ruby. Long story short, I partied wildly and drank heavily to get my mind off of Emma, came home, and found out I was pregnant with you." she ruffled his hair. "In a way, she actually did me a favor, cause if she hadn't cheated on me, you wouldn't be here." Henry smiled.

"Can you tell me what happened with you and your friends?" he then asked. Regina nodded.

"Tink, Lily, and Ruby were really helpful the first few months after mine and Emma's breakup. And honestly, I couldn't have asked for better friends at the time. But as time went on, I noticed changes in them. I'd catch them in little lies about where they were going or where they'd been whenever they were late to something we'd all planned together. When you were three, they started just blowing me and Mal off altogether. Always making up lame excuses. So one night, I left you with Mal and followed the three of them. I found out that they'd been blowing us off to hang out with Emma. Those friendships ended in my mind right then. I confronted them about it the next day, we got into a big fight, and then never hung out again. Barely even spoke." she explained. Henry nodded.

"And with mama?" he asked carefully. Regina inhaled sharply and nodded slowly.

"She was the best support I had after what happened with Emma. She took care of me, got me to eat, sleep, everything. Reminded me that even if I didn't want to stay alive for me, then I needed to want to for you. And she was right of course, so I listened to her. She helped me through my pregnancy and was the first one to hold you after me. After she'd handed you off to be weighed and all, I kissed her and told her that I loved her. She said she loved me too, and we were inseperable after that. Everyone was wonderful between us for the four years leading up to my leaving with you. About a month before we left, I got a job offer. A designing job in California. Mal had already planned on becoming a lawyer here, and she didn't want me to leave. We got into a fight about it, and it went on for that month. The day before we left, I got a call saying I'd taken too long with my answer and that the job had already been filled. I broke things off with Mal, packed our bags, and we left." Henry stayed silent and watched as a single tear slipped down his mother's cheek.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned his head on her shoulder, trying his best to offer the support she needed.

"Man...these two weeks are gonna be so awkward." They both burst into laughter, knowing that whatever was thrown at them in the two weeks they were there, they could get through it together.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a few days since the encounter in the diner, and Regina was already feeling drained. Zelena was freaking out over every small little detail of the wedding, and it was driving her nuts. It was currently seven thirty p.m. the day before the wedding, and Zelena was whining that the store had given her the wrong shade of green napkins.

"Oh for the love of God Zelena, no one cares about the color of the napkins!" she finally snapped. Her sister looked shocked at her outburst, and their mother just looked exhausted.

"You're stressing mom out, which she SO does not need right now, and you're giving me a headache." Zelena narrowed her eyes.

"Well you would care if it was your wedding." she shot back.

"No Zelena, I wouldn't because it _doesn't matter_. The only thing that really matters with this is the location, the music, the food, the guests, and the dress. The napkins, tablecloths, and other small crap are inconsequential." Regina replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Girls, please don't. Zelena darling, Regina's only here for two weeks. Do you really want to spend it fighting?" Cora said, her voice pleading. Zelena huffed.

"No, I suppose not." she grumbled. The doorbell sounded, and she immediately brightened.

"They're here!" she squealed. Regina rolled her eyes. Zelena had insisted on having her bachelorette party at the house...as a sleepover. Her guests were the bridesmaids that Regina didn't even know the identities of yet. She collapsed on the couch and texted her friends back in New York.

"Hello Regina." The raven haired woman's head shot up at the voice. In front of her stood Maleficent, Emma, Lily, Ruby, Tink, Mary Margaret Blanchard, Ashley Boyd, and Belle French. Her mouth dropped open, and she shifted her gaze to her sister.

"Eight bridesmaids? Seriously?" she said.

"Yes. There's nothing wrong with that!" Zelena cried indignantly. Regina rolled her eyes. Her phone went off, and Zelena grabbed it before Regina could.

"You've been on this thing all day! All I've heard is your stupid notification tone! What could possibly be more important to you than your own sister's wedding?" she asked, opening the text. It was from Regina's best friend Kathryn.

 _How's bridezilla now? Still whining?_ Zelena's mouth dropped open as she stared at her sister.

"You've been talking about me to your New York friends?! And calling me bridezilla?!" she shrieked. Regina glared and grabbed her phone back.

"Yeah, I have. You've been a nightmare all day Zelena. I had to do something to keep myself from wringing your neck." she snapped back.

"Guys, let's not fight, okay? This is supposed to be a happy time." Belle, ever the peacemaker, said. Regina rolled her eyes again but sat down.

"Where are Emma and Maleficent?" Zelena asked, looking around for the two blondes.

"Right here." Emma answered, appearing beside the redhead. Mal walked up dutifully on the other side.

"Em." Lily said. The blonde looked at the brunette, who made a motion to her lips. Emma nodded in realization and swiped at her own. Regina looked closely and saw red appear on Emma's fingers. She then looked at Mal. Red lipstick. As always. And then the dots connected.

"Oh my God." she said. Everyone looked at her, but she only looked at Mal, whose eyes widened when she realized that her ex had just discovered her secret. It soon dawned on everyone else as well.

"Oops." Lily muttered.

"Regina, don't overreact." Zelena said. Regina's eyes snapped to her sister's.

"You knew about this?" she asked.

"Everyone in town knows about this Regina." Zelena replied with a roll of her eyes. Her sister stood abruptly, fire blazing in her eyes. She snatched her purse up quickly.

"Well out of everyone in town, you can find yourself a new maid of honor." she spat before storming outside.

"Regina!" Zelena called, running after her. The little group followed. Regina threw her purse into the passenger seat of the car and flipped them all off before climbing in and driving off.

"Well that went well."

 **Sorry this is so short! Just wanted to get** _ **something**_ **up since I haven't updated in a while. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukah (I apologize immensely if I spelled that wrong!), a Happy Kwanza, and any other holidays you lovely people may celebrate! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Regina drove as fast as she could without killing herself and made it to her destination fairly quickly.

The Rabbit Hole was a lowkey, dim lighted, hole in the wall bar that the people of Storybrooke went to whenever they were in either their highest or lowest moments. There was no in between. Regina had gone there the day she'd left Storybrooke, sweet-talking the bartender into letting her drink by telling the story of her breakup. And now she felt it was time for a visit to the old bar.

"Regina!" The bartender, Leroy, called with a grin. The rest of the guys in the bar also grinned, having been friends with either Regina, her parents, or both, before she'd left.

"Hey Leroy. Guys." Regina replied tiredly, sitting at the bar.

"What'll ya have darlin'?" Leroy drawled. Regina laughed lightly.

"Vodka tonic. Straight." she answered.

"Bad day?" he asked as he pulled out a glass and a bottle of vodka.

"You have no idea." she sighed. Leroy set her drink in front of her and leaned on it.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked. She and Leroy had always talked a lot whether she ended up in the bar, not drinking of course, when she had fights with her parents in her teen years or whether they saw each other in Granny's.

"Well, let's see. I'm back in a town I had no intention of ever setting foot in again, my sister is being a bridezilla and is acting like a jealous ten year old, my brother is marrying a woman he barely knows and doesn't care that I'm trying to help him, my former best friends are all acting like _I'm_ the one who was and is in the wrong, my two former girlfriends are dating and my sister thought it was a good idea for me to find that out the night before her wedding, my sister is mad at _me_ now because I dropped out of being her maid of honor when she should have _known_ that I was going to be angry, and my son wants to mend my relationships with people that I have mutual hate/hate feelings for." Regina ranted before downing her vodka tonic in one go. Leroy raised his eyebrows.

"Man...these people _suck_." he said. Regina nodded, a sullen look on her face.

"You wanna know what the worst part is?" she asked.

"What's that?"

"Seeing Mal and Emma together made me realize...I'm still in love with Mal."

*Back at the mansion*

Mal was pacing the living room while the rest of the women stood and sat around.

"Mal, calm down!" Lily finally snapped.

"She left upset Lily! She could be hurt or worse!" Mal barked back.

"I didn't mean for her to get so upset." Zelena muttered.

"Well you should've known she was going to be angry that everyone knew about Mal and Emma and didn't tell her." Belle pointed out.

"I know." Zelena sighed, running hand through her curly red hair. "I just...I've always been jealous of Regina. She got the relationships, the good grades, the _real_ friends. I don't know. I guess I just wanted to see her feel as...jealous as I always have been."

"Zelena, that's _low_." Ruby said angrily.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Zelena cried.

"Don't tell us. Tell Regina." Ashley replied. And with that, all of the other women walked out of the house.

*2 hours later; back at the Rabbit Hole*

Regina screamed happily as she stood on top of the bar, half full bottle of vodka in her hand.

"Okay Regina, time to come down!" Leroy called, reaching up towards her.

"No way!" Regina cried, taking another huge swig of vodka.

"Regina, you're gonna fall, now get down!" he said frustratedly.

"NO!" the very drunk woman yelled. She began dancing happily on the bar, not seeing the puddle of water that another customer's glass had left. She did a little bit of a tango move stepped into the puddle. She immediately slipped and tumbled down off of the bar. The vodka bottle flew out of her hand across the room and smashed against the pool table, and her head hit one of the shelves of the bar on the way down.

"SOMEONE CALL 911!" Leroy yelled, kneeling down beside the woman. He checked her pulse, and it was weak but there. He then picked up the phone and dialed Granny's.

"Granny, put me through to the mayor's room." he said. "Don't question me old woman, it's an emergency!" A few moments later, he was patched through.

"Hello?" came Cora's sleep filled voice.

"Madam Mayor! You need to get to the hospital right away! There's been an accident!" Leroy said frantically.

"What? What's happened?" Cora asked, more awake now.

"Regina got drunk and fell off the bar." he informed her.

"Is she alright?!" He heard a noise and an indignant exclamation and deduced that the mayor had smacked her husband because he refused to wake up.

"I don't know yet. Just get to the hospital as soon as possible." Leroy replied. They then hung up, and Leroy sighed.

"Hang in there Regina. Your battles aren't over yet.

 **Don't hate me people! Had to throw in some more drama there! On another note, I am running out of ideas for We Can Take On The World (for those of you that read that one)! So please, drop me a review or a PM if you have ANY ideas for that one, cause I am SO STUCK!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alrighty! New chapter, yay! I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this so far, and now I'd like to answer some of the questions and respond to some of the comments I've been getting. :)**

 **Outlawqueenalways: I get where you're coming from about Mal and Emma being together. I'm not sure I even really planned for it to happen, but I really wanted some big drama, so that's what I came up with. But don't worry, Regina WILL have her happy ending so long as I am in control of this end!**

 **nothinparticular: I've never been Emma's biggest fan either. I've always sympathised more with the characters like Regina, Cora, and Rumple. And thank you for the recognition on the Grumpy/Regina friendship! I just thought it'd be nice for Regina to have at least one friend left in town that she could vent to about her sister.**

 **I can't find the review right now, but whoever reviewed and asked about Ursula and Cruella, yes they will appear in this story. Can't leave out two of my favorite OUAT villains!**

Rumple and Cora arrived at the hospital with Henry in record time and skidded into the waiting room. Zelena and her bridal party were already there, having been called and unintentionally informed by a patron of the bar who'd wanted to yell at them for being so cruel towards Regina, as well as Neal, who'd been called by Zelena.

"Mama!" Zelena cried, launching herself at her mother. "Mama, I didn't mean to!"

"What are you talking about? Unless you _pushed_ her off the bar, you didn't do anything!" Cora said, confused. Zelena pulled back, wiping at her tear stained cheeks.

"But I did!" she sobbed.

"Well what did you do?" Rumple demanded. Zelena sniffed.

"I invited all the bridesmaids over and didn't tell her who they were, and I didn't tell her about Mal and Emma. That's why she left the house! And why she went to the bar and got drunk! It's all my fault!" she bawled.

"It seems you're right." Cora said. Zelena looked at her mother, clearly having not expected that.

"W-what?" she stuttered.

"Zelena Marie, I realize you were expecting me to tell you it's not your fault, but it's time I was honest with you. We've always sheltered you because you were the first girl, and it's got to stop. You shouldn't have kept Mal and Emma's relationship from Regina when you knew how much it would hurt her. You should've been a good older sister and let her know who the bridesmaids were so that she could have prepared herself ahead of time. You've always been jealous of her and mean to her because she's the baby of the family, and she doesn't deserve it. It's not her fault that she was born last, and it's not her fault that you decided to make the bad choices you have." her mother snapped. She, Rumple, and Henry then left her standing in shock and approached the nurse's station.

"We need information on Regina Mills please." Rumple informed the woman.

"Are you family?" the nurse asked.

"I'm her father, this is her mother, and her son." Rumple replied. The nurse nodded and typed in some information on the computer.

"She got a concussion fromt the fall, but we've stablilized her, and she's sleeping now. You can see her if you like. Room 312." she told them.

"Thank you. And we are to be the only ones permitted to see her." Cora said. The nurse nodded and opened the doors that would allow them into the back.

*Regina's hospital room*

Regina was laying, peacefully asleep, in her hospital bed as her mother, father, and son were around the room. Henry was directly beside his mother's bed in a leather chair, Cora was standing on the other side, a little further away from the bed, and Rumple was right next to his wife, arm around her shoulders. Henry was in the middle of recounting his time with his grandparents to his sleeping mother when a shrill ringing came from the table across the room. Recognizing it as his mother's cell phone, Henry lept up from his chair and raced across the room to answer it.

"Hello?" he answered breathlessly.

"Henry? Where's your mom?" a feminine voice came across the line.

"She's in the hospital. You should come." the young boy replied. The woman on the other end gasped.

"Oh my God! Okay, um, I'll gather everyone up, and we'll all come." she said, trying to stay calm.

"Good. It'll be nice for you to finally meet grandma and grandpa. She's met your parents tons of times." he grinned, though he knew that the woman on the other end couldn't see him. However, he succeeded in making her laugh.

"Yeah bud, that'll be nice. I just wish it was because she wanted me to, not because she got hurt." the woman said. He nodded, again knowing she couldn't see.

"Yeah, but still." Henry insisted.

"Alright buddy. We'll be there just as soon as we can."

"Okay. See you soon." And with that, he hung up and turned back around to find his grandparents staring at him.

"Who was that?" Cora finally asked. Henry turned a bright red, having momentarily forgotten that his grandparents were in the room.

"Um, one of mom's friends from New York. She's gonna bring the whole gang to visit mom." he answered. His grandparents both raised their eyebrows.

"That sounded like more than just a friend." Rumple commented, a suspicious tone in his voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Henry denied.

"Well, generally adults who are friends either met their friend's parents when they were children or they don't meet them, as you said, tons of times. Something's up." Cora agreed with her husband.

"I plead the fifth." Henry insisted stubbornly. His grandparents eventually just let it go, but they were dying to know who this mystery woman was and exactly what kind of relationship she had with their daughter.

 **This feels so short, and it probably is, but I think I'm gonna end the chapter here anyway! Now, I've gotten a few requests for Regina to have either a secret girlfriend or a secret illness, and I decided I wasn't going to go with an illness, so this popped up! Can anyone guess who the mystery woman is? And before anyone starts guessing, no, it's not Kathryn. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, one reviewer guessed it! However, I won't say which reviewer. :) I'd rather keep you all in suspense for just a little bit longer. Enjoy!**

*Waiting Room*

Mal was pacing back and forth the next day, biting her nails as she went. The others watched her carefully. She was like a ticking time bomb, and no one wanted to be the one to make her detonate. Finally, Lily stood up and stepped into the other woman's path.

"Calm down." she said.

"I can't." Mal snapped.

"The doctors said she's going to be okay." Lily pointed out in an attempt to reassure the other woman.

"But what if she's not? What if her brain starts bleeding? What if she slips into a coma? What if becomes brain dead and her parents pull the plug?" Mal growled. She didn't want to take her anger out on the other woman, so she tried to reign herself in. "This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been so stupid."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, standing up. Tink and Emma joined them. Everyone else was scattered around the entire hospital.

"If I hadn't driven her away from the town, she wouldn't be here. We might be married by now." A small smile played at the blonde's lips. "We talked about it once."

"Hello? What about me?" Emma interjected, waving her hands around. Mal looked at her with a miserable expression.

"Emma, we got together because we both regretted losing Regina, and we connected over that. But regret over losing an ex is not a good basis for a relationship. We were doomed from the start, and I don't think I could have ever truly loved you just like I'm sure you could never have truly loved me." she told the other woman honestly. Emma looked down and nodded.

"You're right." she agreed quietly, shocking everyone. Mal nodded.

"Things were better before all of this. Before all the wedding drama, best friend betrayal drama, and the relationship drama. When Henry was real little, _that's_ when things were truly wonderful." she said wistfully.

*Regina's Room*

A quiet moan brought the three others in the room out of their respective thoughts. Three pairs of eyes shot over to the bed where Regina's eyes were fluttering. Brown eyes finally stared back at them and confusion found its way onto Regina's face.

"Mama? Daddy? Henry? Where are we?" she asked. The three moved closer to the bed.

"The hospital. You fell off the bar in the Rabbit Hole." Cora told her youngest child. Regina groaned.

"Wonderful. Who else is here?" she questioned.

"Your sister and her bridal party, your brother, and Leroy and a few other patrons of the bar." Rumple listed off.

"Oh, and one of your New York friends called. Apparently, she's going to be bringing the rest of them here to see you." Cora added, hoping to get some information on the mystery woman.

"Oh, uh, awesome. They've been dying to meet you guys." Regina said, not giving anything away. "Which one called?"

"The most important one." Henry hinted. Realization crossed his mother's face.

"Oh! Gotcha. When will they be here?" she asked.

"Well, she called yesterday, so they should be here already." her son said. Regina sighed.

"Can we get me discharged please? I don't want them seeing me like this, especially her." she pleaded. Cora nodded and left the room before returning a few minutes later with discharge papers.

"The doctor says to just take it easy for a few weeks, and stay off of bars." she relayed, making her daughter cringe.

"Please don't remind me that I was dancing on top of a bar." she moaned.

"You were _dancing_ on top of the bar?!" her parents said together. Regina's eyes went wide.

"No!" she said quickly. She signed the discharge papers and handed them back. Cora eyed her suspiciously before taking the discharge papers back to the doctor. Regina went into the bathroom and quickly got dressed, running a hand through her hair.

"Okay. Let's get out of here." she stated. The three people left exited the room and met up with Cora in the hallway just as they were entering the waiting room.

"Do you see them Henry?" Regina asked anxiously.

"Not yet." Henry replied.

"Regina!" Suddenly, they were surrounded by everyone who'd been waiting for her.

"Hey, hey! Give me some room!" Regina cried, holding her hands up in a defensive position. Everyone quickly backed up obediently, and Regina pushed her hair back behind her ears. However, before she could get a word in, a high pitched squeal echoed through the hall.

"GINA!" A blur of color raced past everyone and crashed into the young woman, nearly knocking her down.

"Hey!" Mal barked. "Watch it lady!" The woman who'd nearly tackled Regina half released her, an arm around her waist and the across her chest with her hand on her shoulder.

"I assume you're Mal?" she asked. Mal glared at her with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah. Who are you?" she snapped. The woman looked at Regina, who gave her a nod, before looking back at Mal.

"I'm Ariel. Her girlfriend."

 **Surprise! So Ariel is Regina's secret girlfriend. You guys weren't expecting that, huh? Congrats to the one reviewer who managed to guess the right one! Let me know what you guys think!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Girlfriend?!" Mal cried incredulously.

"Yes, girlfriend. You're not the only one who's allowed to move on Mal." Regina snapped. In order to stop a potential fight, the other New Yorkers stepped forward.

"You just have a habit of getting yourself into trouble, huh?" Kathryn grinned. Regina stuck her tongue out at the blonde before embracing her. The other women and the two men also hugged her quickly. Kathryn then made a subtle gesture that Regina took to mean they wanted to be introduced.

"Oh, right. Uh, everyone, this is Kathryn, Ursula, Cruella, Merida, Aurora, Phillip, and Jefferson. Guys, this is my mom Cora, my dad Rumple, my sister Zelena, my brother Neal, Emma, Maleficent, Lily, Tinkerbell, Ruby, Leroy, Ashley, Belle, and Mary Margaret." the raven haired woman introduced awkwardly. Everyone exchanged greetings and then turned their attention back to the scene they were witnessing.

"So, um, how did this happen?" Neal asked, gesturing between his sister and Ariel. He realized at that moment that his sister generally went for well-dressed, somewhat sophisticated, curvy blondes.

Ariel had an hourglass figure with straight, dark red hair that went to just below her shoulders and shining blue eyes. She was dressed in tight black skinny jeans, a dark green silk tank top, and black peep-toe stilettoes. Not usually the kind of girl his sister went for.

"We met when I moved to New York. Ari was working at a seafood restaurant Henry and I went into for dinner, and I recognized her from the building we'd just moved into." Regina explained.

"I actually lived only a floor above them." Ariel added with a smile.

"So, uh, how long have you two been dating?" Tink questioned.

"Four years. Coming up on our fifth in about a week." Regina answered. Mal's heart clenched. In just a week, Regina would have a longer relationship with a girl she'd only met a few years ago than she had with a woman she'd known her entire life.

"Well congratulations." Ruby smiled. Everyone gave out their agreement. Well most everyone anyway. Mal just sulked in the back of the crowd.

"Thank you everyone." Regina said, forcing a smile. She was uncomfortable displaying her relationship with Ariel to these most of these people who she no longer felt she could trust. "Ari, we should get you guys checked into rooms at Granny's." Ariel nodded while the others made noises of agreement.

"It was so nice to meet all of you." Cruella smiled sweetly. In all honesty, she and the others didn't quite have a taste for these people. They'd hurt Regina, and that wasn't okay with her New York friends. The little group left quickly, after checking with Henry and finding that he wished to stay in the mansion with his grandparents, aunt, and uncle. Regina would stay at Granny's with Ariel.

"What right do they have to come in here and act like we're the scum of earth?!" Ruby demanded, glaring at the spots in which each of the New Yorkers had stood.

"Regina's probably spun some sob story and fed it to them. I'll bet they lapped it up like lost little puppies." Lily spat.

"They can't possibly know anything about us." Tink added.

"And that Ariel girl probably isn't who she says she is." Mal said matter-of-factly. Henry made a face at them.

"None of that's true. Mom told them the truth, and Ariel's great. You guys are just jealous cause you let mom go." he said. The four women looked at him in shock.

"We're not jealous of snooty New Yorkers." Ruby denied, though the truth was in her eyes.

"Yes you are. You three are mad that mom was right that you pretty much said you didn't care about her feelings by hanging out with Emma, and you're angry that you didn't support her dream and drove her away." Henry replied easily. "Don't blame your mistakes on them. Grandma, can we go home now?" Cora, who was also in shock, managed to nod.

"Sure. Let's go." she said, finally finding her voice.

And with that, the Mills-Gold clan set off to await their next big adventure...or crisis...whichever came first.


	9. Chapter 9

**Next chapter, yay!**

 **Outlawqueenalways: I know right? I didn't mean to shift the feels so much or make this so complicated for** _ **us**_ **. It was meant to be complicated for** _ **them**_ **.**

 **In the process of writing this, I have accidently started shipping Regina/Ariel** _ **on top of**_ **the other** _ **three**_ **ships I ship involving Regina. Ugh, I make things so complicated for myself. Anyway, this will still probably be Dragon Queen (unless you guys decide you want it to end as Ariel/Regina, which I have actually gone so far as to come up with a ship name for). Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts!**

Because of the whole 'bar fiasco', as everyone had taken to calling it, Zelena and Robin's wedding had been moved to Monday rather than Sunday. Zelena had pouted profusely but had begrudgingly accepted the new date with the promise of a do-over bachelorette party, which Regina refused to participate in. And so Zelena had pouted about this as well but quickly got over when she timidly accepted deep within her that she had done her sister wrong and that the younger woman couldn't simply leave her New York friends alone to party with her sister.

So that is how Maleficent found herself lounging lazily in the Mills mansion. She was scrolling through instagram and made an impulse decision to look up Regina's profile. She regretted it not long after finding it.

At the top of the other woman's page was a picture of...well Regina. But it was clear she hadn't taken it herself.

She was sitting on a bed, one leg bent so it went under the other with her foot sticking out and the other bent with her knee pulled up to her chest. She had on purple sweat pants and a white t-shirt with half of her hair behind her and half over her shoulder. Her laptop was in front of her, and she seemed to be in mid-type with one hand while the other held up a rocker symbol. She had on black glasses, and a serious expression with her lips almost pursed.

Maleficent swallowed with some difficulty and looked to see who had taken the picture.

 **Ariel Brooks ( Atlantisismyhome16): Look at my beautiful babe! She works too hard! :* I love you baby! queenie28**

Anger swelled in the blonde's heart as she read the caption that Ariel had placed on the picture. That should be her. She should be the one calling Regina beautiful. She should be the only one allowed to see her like that. She should be the one telling Regina that she loved her! She scrolled down a bit to see if there were any comments. Pretty much all of Regina's other New York friends had commented.

 **Kathryn James ( PrincessAbigail): Rockin' it girl!**

 **Cruella de Vil ( animallover23): Wonderful picture dahling!**

 **Ursula Matthews ( theseawitch): She does work too hard. But she looks good doin' it!**

 **Merida Shepard ( thebraveone): Never one to stop! But we love ya anyway Gina!**

 **Aurora Devereaux ( SleepingBeauty): Just don't let her forget her beauty sleep! She's gotta show up all those people at the wedding tomorrow!**

 **Phillip Tyler ( Beauty'sPrince): Might just have to steal her from ya Rel! You the dragon I'm gonna have to slay to get to her? LOL**

 **Jefferson Davis ( TheMadHatter): You're driving me mad, love! :)**

However, the very last comment broke her heart.

 **Regina Mills ( queenie28): Lol. Just trying to get everything done so I can take you out when we leave this sucky town. I love you too baby!**

Mal closed out the app, tears stinging in her eyes. God she'd been so stupid! And now Regina was in love with someone else. She resisted the overwhelming urge the throw her phone across the room and pocketed the device quickly, wiping her eyes too, as the other women came back into the room.

"Everything okay Mal?" Emma asked, as the two women _had_ parted on amicable enough terms.

"Uh, yeah. Everything's fine." Mal replied, plastering a smile on her face. Of course no one believed her, but they let it drop, knowing that it was probably painful for Mal to talk about it...and that it probably involved Regina.

*Monday; 2 hours before the wedding*

Regina sighed as she continued getting ready for Zelena and Robin's wedding. She'd showered and brushed her hair before blow drying and curling it. Now she sat in her robe on the bed, trying to find the motivation to put on her dress and do her makeup.

"Gina, you've got to finish getting ready." Ariel reminded her, coming out of the bathroom dressed in a sea foam green, off the shoulder dress with a cute, thin black belt wrapped around the middle and matching sea foam green heels on her feet. Her hair was also curled, and she had on red lipstick with green eyeshadow and green mascara.

"I know, but I really, really, really don't wanna go to this wedding." Regina replied. "Can't we just stay here?" Ariel smiled.

"As tempting as that sounds, this is your sister and best friend's wedding. I think you should go. And look at it this way. The sooner we get through this wedding, the sooner we can get to and through your brother's and the sooner we can leave." she told her. Regina smiled back at her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She made a show of sighing dramatically. Ariel grinned cheekily.

"Of course I am. I'm always right." She quickly dodged the pillow her girlfriend chucked at her, giggling the whole way.

"Will you help me with my dress please? I can't get the zipper on my own." Regina requested. Ariel nodded, and as soon as Regina slipped her dress on, she zipped it up.

"Now go get your makeup on so we can go woman!" the redhead playfully ordered, pressing a kiss to the other woman's lips.

"Yes ma'am!" Regina mock saluted and marched into the bathroom, making them both laugh hysterically.

Maybe the day wouldn't be so bad.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully, even if you're a Dragon Queen shipper, you enjoyed the Mermaid Queen scene I threw in. :) Sorry about the shortness. I'll work on making longer chapters, but I make no promises.**


	10. Chapter 10

The wedding was organized beautifully if Regina did say so herself. All of the arrangements had been made before the first bachelorette party (disaster), so all of Regina's work had been put to good use, and even she was impressed by what a good job she'd done.

"This looks great baby." Ariel praised as they entered the garden of the Mills mansion, where the wedding was to be held.. Regina smiled, squeezing the other woman's hand gently.

"Thanks Ari." she replied. Cora was up at the makeshift alter, giving orders to some of the servers while Rumple sat in one of the chairs set up, watching his wife in amusement. Catching sight of the two women, both of them gave a quick wave, Cora not stopping her ordering around, and Rumple not stopping his laughing, despite the deadly glare his wife was giving him. Regina shook her head in amusement and led Ariel inside.

"So this is your childhood home." her girlfriend stated, staring around in awe. Regina nodded.

"This is it." she confirmed. Before either of them could say anything, a squeal of distress was heard from upstairs. Regina quickly made her way up, Ariel on her heels, and followed the sound to Zelena's bedroom.

"Oh, it's ruined!" Zelena cried.

"What's ruined?" Regina questioned. Her sister spun around to face her, a look of pure distress on her face.

"My hair." she whimpered. "Everyone but Neal was busy, and I needed help to trim some split ends. He cut off a huge chunk of my hair!" Regina looked around and spotted her guilty looking brother standing in the corner.

"I didn't mean to!" he said. Regina sighed and shook her head. She held her hand out, and Neal placed the scissors in them.

"Go help Robin...do whatever it is the groom does on the wedding day." she ordered. Then she turned to Zelena. "Sit down." Her sister complied, and Regina stood behind her and got to work. She carefully cut a little more on the place where it was obvious that Neal had cut, making Zelena whimper once more.

"Calm down Zelena." Regina griped. "Ari, hand me that brush please." Once the brush was in her hand, the raven haired woman brushed the cut part of hair over the top of Zelena's head and down her forehead, giving her bangs (her hair had been straightened for the occasion). Regina then grabbed a can of hair spray and sprayed her sister's hair so that the straightness and the bangs would stay in place. "There. All done." Zelena looked in the mirror and gasped.

"Oh Regina. It looks beautiful." she breathed. She then turned and threw her arms around her little sister. "Thank you so much!" Regina patted the older girl's back awkwardly.

"You're welcome." she replied. "Ariel and I have to go back downstairs, okay? See you later." She took Ariel's hand and fled the bedroom as quickly as possible. They stumbled into Regina's old room and collapsed on the bed, laughing. Regina sat up against the headboard and leaned her head against the top of it.

"Thank you for coming here Ari. You've really made it bearable." she said softly. Ariel propped herself up on her elbows.

"Of course. I love you Regina." she said seriously. Regina smiled softly.

"I love you too Ari." Ariel sat up and moved so she was straddling the other woman, kissing her softly. Regina gently took her girlfriend's face into her hands, kissing her back. After a few minutes, the door opened without warning, and Mal entered, speaking to Lily, Ruby, and Tink over her shoulder. The three others stopped, and Mal turned and let out a little shriek, making Regina and Ariel jump apart.

"Jesus Christ Mal! Ever heard of knocking?" Regina shrieked.

"Your mom asked us to come find you!" Lily shot back defensively.

"You still should've knocked! This isn't your house!" Regina yelled. "Just get out! We'll be out in a minute!" The four other women glared at her but left, slamming the door behind themselves. Regina sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"I hate this town." she muttered, standing up. Ariel followed suit, taking her hands and pressing another gentle kiss to her lips.

"Don't get discouraged baby. We'll make it through this." she said softly. "Can I see that beautiful smile please?" A small smile made its way onto the raven haired woman's face.

"There's my girl." Ariel grinned, making her girlfriend laugh. They laced their hands together and left the bedroom, heading back down into the garden. Everyone was starting to be seated, which the two women realized was probably why Cora had asked that Regina be found. So they took their seats in one of the front rows, Regina just waiting for it to be over. The bridesmaids made their way down the aisle followed by Ava Zimmer as flowergirl. Finally, Zelena made her way down the aisle with Rumple and was given away to Robin.

Vows were said, rings were exchanged, and FINALLY everyone was able to stand and move around the large garden for the reception, and everyone had started dancing. Regina sipped from a flute of champagne as Ariel talked to Ursula and Cruella nearby. Finishing off her drink, she walked over to where her girlfriend was standing.

"Excuse me girls. May I steal this lovely lady from you?" she asked with a smile, wrapping her arm around Ariel's waist.

"By all means." Ursula smiled back, using her arm to make a grand sweeping gesture. The women laughed, and Regina led Ariel into the area that had been designated as the dance floor.

A slow song had just started playing, and the two lovers were more than happy to sway together.

"I love you." Regina whispered.

"I love you too." Ariel replied. "Are you okay? You seem sad."

"I'm okay. Just overwhelmed by how much you seem to genuinely love me when you know about my feelings for Mal." Regina replied quietly. Ariel reached up and pushed a strand of the other woman's hair behind her ear.

"You know that I know how it feels to be in love with two people at once Gina." she said softly. "And you know I don't blame you for being in love with two people at once." Regina kissed her, hard, and Ariel responded in kind.

"Hey lovebirds! Break it up! She's tossing the bouquet!" Kathryn's call made both women laugh, and they quickly made it over to their friends just as Zelena turned around to throw her bouquet. As if in slow motion, the flowers sailed through the air and into the sea of women outstretching their arms to catch it. Once they landed, the group parted to reveal the one who'd caught the bouquet.

And Regina stood holding it looking like a deer caught in the headlights.


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, so a lot of people have said that this should end in Mermaid Queen since Mal's being a royal you-know-what, but I still have NO idea where this is going.**

Regina was in daze as she stood holding the bouquet of violets. When she'd entered the crowd of women that were all determined to get that bouquet, she'd never expected to catch it herself. She'd been sure that the tons of other women would be fighting over it while she sipped champagne with Ariel after it'd been thrown.

"Looks like you're the next to get married sis!" Zelena called with a grin.

"Over my dead body." Rumple muttered, earning himself a glare and an elbow in the ribs from his wife. Regina shook her head.

"Can't be. Tamara's the next to get married." she stated, throwing a look over at her brother and his girlfriend. Zelena rolled her eyes.

"Well that's a given. Just means you're going to be the next one married after her." she said. Regina shook her head.

"Can we not talk about this?" she asked as Ariel wrapped her arms around her waist from behind, kissing her in between her shoulder blades. Thankfully, everyone dropped the subject, but it still lingered in the back of Regina's mind even as Ariel dragged her to the makeshift dance floor and tried to kiss her worries away. However, when Mal made her way over, there was nothing else in her mind.

"May I steal this lovely lady from you for a dance?" the blonde asked. Ariel looked to Regina, who nodded, and the redhead gave a nod of consent before gently placing her girlfriend's hand into the blonde's. Mal wrapped her arm around her ex-girlfriend's back, holding tightly to her hand as Regina placed her own on the blonde's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked quietly.

"Dancing." The raven haired woman glared at the blonde.

"Mal, I'm serious."

"As am I." Regina sighed.

"Don't make this difficult please."

"I'm not the one making it difficult."

"You are. Mal, things didn't work out. You moved on, so did I. Why are we torturing each other like this?" Tears filled ice blue eyes, causing a slight guilt to rise in Regina.

"Because I love you." Mal whispered. "I wasn't supportive, and I took you for granted, and I lost you because of that, but I love you Regina. So much." It was now chocolate brown eyes filling with tears that refused to be shed. Everything in Storybrooke was beginning to be too much for her to handle.

"Don't do this." she begged.

"Regina, I can't keep pretending to be angry with you. I'm jealous, but I am not angry. I love you, and I want to be with you." Mal insisted, pulling her even closer. Regina let herself indulge for a moment, closing her eyes and dropping her forehead to Mal's shoulder as she let out a shaky breath.

"I love you too." she whimpered. "But I love Ari too, and I don't want to hurt either of you." A tear slipped down Mal's cheek at Regina's words.

"Gina...please." she whispered.

"I just...can't right now." Regina choked out. She tore out of the blonde's arms and bolted for the house, causing concern in the general population of the backyard. Ariel and the other New Yorkers marched over to Mal, seething.

"What did you say to her?!" Ariel demanded.

"None of your business!" Mal snapped back, her own voice cracking.

"It's her business when you made her girlfriend upset." Cruella retorted, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Leave me alone!" Mal growled. She then hurriedly left the backyard, her heart breaking when she heard Regina's muffled sobbing floating down from upstairs. She brought her hand up to cover up her own sobs as she left.

Regina leaned with her back against her old bed, gasping as the door opened. Henry walked around the bed and slid down beside her.

"What happened mom?" he asked. Regina just shook her head, not ready to talk about it yet. Henry nodded in understanding before gently wrapping his arms around his mother and leaning his head on her shoulder.

"I love you mom. And I'm here for you." he whispered.

The only sounds after that were the quiet sobbing of a broken hearted woman.

 **I sincerely apologize for the shortness of this, but it's been a while since the last update, and I wanted to give you guys a little something. Maybe I'll do a Valentine's chapter soon...that'd be fun. Let me know what you guys think!**


	12. Chapter 12

It had been five days since the entire ordeal with Mal, and Regina was not even close to feeling better or being any less conflicted. It was now finally Saturday, and she was both happy and sad that she would be going home the next afternoon. On the one hand, she would be back home with Ariel and Henry, and she could pretend that her going back home had never happened.

It was only noon, but Regina had decided that wine was a good idea, as she was at her parents' house and no one was there but her. A _wonderful_ idea actually, as soon she would be going to Tamara's bachelorette party. And the woman in question had invited all of Regina's New York friends to come along. And Mal was going to be there. And Lily and Ruby and Tink and Emma. And she was _so_ not facing that situation sober. Not after Zelena's wedding. She quickly downed the last of the wine in her glass and stood up, stumbling a bit.

' _Maybe I drank more than I thought..._ ' she thought as she swayed unsteadily. A knock at the door then had her stumbling toward it, nearly falling in the process. Finally, she managed to get the door open to reveal Mal.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked after a few long moments of silence.

"I just wanted to check and see how you were doing. But I figured you needed some space first, so I waited a few days." Mal replied, eyeing the wine glass still in her ex's hand. Regina followed her line of sight and let her arm drop down beside her.

"Well, as you can see, I am trying to get tipsy enough to be numb but stay sober enough to be coherent." she said, moving to close the door quickly. However, Mal's stiletto clad foot stopped the door before it could close.

"Regina, please." she begged. "I just want to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about!" Regina denied. "We broke up, I left, you still love me, I love you, I love Ariel, and all of this is a mess that I don't have the strength to deal with. There is nothing left to talk about. I'll be going home tomorrow afternoon, and we can all pretend this sham of a visit never even happened." Mal pushed the door open, stepping into the foyer and framing Regina's face before the woman in question could stop her.

"I am going to make you see that this is worth fighting for." the blonde said determinedly before crashing her mouth to Regina's. The wine glass slipped from Regina's hand and crashed to the floor as she gave in and wrapped her arms around Mal's neck.

*Later that day*

Regina stood in the back of the Rabbit Hole, sipping from a glass of wine as she surveyed the others around her. Tamara was having her bachelorette party in the bar, which meant everyone was drinking. Ariel, Aurora, Phillip, and Kathryn were all socializing. Jefferson, Ursula, Cruella, and Merida were playing pool. Ruby, Tink, Lily, and Emma were playing beer pong. Mary Margaret, Belle, Ashley, Zelena, and Tamara were dancing. Mal was nowhere to be seen. That is until she popped up beside Regina out of nowhere.

"Hello." she drawled. Regina jumped, just barely managing to keep her wine from spilling on her white blouse. The ebony haired woman glared at the blonde without any real heat.

"I should smack you." she said. Mal smirked, snatching the wine glass and draining the last dregs of wine from it. Regina rolled her eyes, though a fond smile made its way onto her red lips.

"You owe me a new glass of wine." she declared, pointing at the blonde.

"You need to live a little." Mal countered. "Drink something stronger." Regina gave her a pointed look.

"The last time I drank something stronger, I danced on a bar and fell off of said bar. I would rather not have a repeat." she deadpanned. Mal grinned at her, making Regina roll her eyes once more.

"So, are we just going to pretend that we didn't sleep together today?" she then asked after a few moments.

"No. I'm just waiting until you figure out that you want to sleep together again. At which point, you will no longer be dating Ariel, and you will be all mine again." the blonde answered without missing a beat. Regina sighed quietly.

"Mal...I still don't know what I'm doing. I'm still debating going back home to New York."

"New York isn't your home Regina. It's basically like your Granny's of life. Which I know doesn't really make sense, but you know what I mean." Regina laughed despite herself.

"Yes, I know what you mean. But honestly, if I was to come back, do you really think we could just go back to how we were before? Because I don't think I can." she said.

"Of course we won't be exactly like we were before. We've both grown, we've both changed, we've both learned. And so has everyone else. We're all more mature now instead of being just teenagers without a clue as to what they're doing. I know what I want Regina, I've known for ten years, and I want _you_." Mal told her honestly. "I love you so very much, but I will respect whatever decision you make." With one last longing look, the blonde disappeared into the crowd of bar goers, leaving Regina to her thoughts.

And of course, the one memory that came to the woman's mind was one she tried _not_ to think about.

 _Regina entered her bedroom and collapsed tiredly onto the bed after putting a now two year old Henry down for the night. She rolled over, pillowing her head on Mal's stomach. The blonde smiled, running her fingers through Regina's ebony hair._

 _"Think he's down for the count?" she teased. Regina groaned quietly. Henry had been waking up in the middle of the night for three months straight._

 _"Don't even joke!" she whined. Mal laughed as her girlfriend moved so she was pillowing her head on her chest instead of her stomach. They were both silent for a long while, Mal just playing with Regina's hair. Finally the blonde spoke up._

 _"What would you say if I asked you to marry me?" she asked thoughtfully, her fingers still running rythmically through her girlfriend's hair._

 _"Yes." Regina answered without missing a beat. Mal smiled, dropping a kiss onto the other girl's head._

 _"I love you so much." she said softly._

 _"I love you too." Regina replied as Mal's hand moved to her back. She pushed the back of her shirt up slightly and gently massaged her girlfriend's lower back. Regina moaned lowly as the tension began to leave her back._

 _"I really do want to marry you Mal." she said._

 _"Just a few more years baby. We have to be legally adults, and in all honesty, it would be nice if we could legally drink at our wedding." she laughed lightly. Regina laughed along with her._

 _"Yeah, that does sound more appealing than having regular, non-spiked apple cider." she agreed._

 _"One day I promise that I will give a huge wedding and a big house that we'll fill with tons and tons of children." Regina laughed as Mal sealed her promise with a kiss._

Regina sighed quietly and took her wine glass over to the bar, saying goodbye to Grumpy and making excuses to the bridal party and her friends as she left the bar. She walked to the back of the building and leaned back against the wall, taking a deep breath of the cool, crisp Maine air. She then pulled out her phone and dialed the most familiar number she had. Henry's.

"Hey mom." he answered on the third ring. "How's the party going?"

"Uh, pretty good." she replied. "How're grandma and grandpa?" Henry groaned, and she laughed.

"They make out every single time I leave the room! And they don't hear me when I come back, so I have to say something to make them stop! I love grandma and grandpa, and I'm really happy that they love each other after so long together, but I don't wanna _see_ it in such a high capacity!" That only made her laugh harder.

"Come on mom, it's not funny!" her son whined.

"It so is though. They did that when uncle Neal, aunt Zelena, and I were kids. We thought it was gross too." she told him. She heard shuffling, and then a muffled sound that sounded suspiciously like a squeal.

"Oh gross! He's carrying her up the stairs mom!" And with that, Regina busted into laughter again.

"Okay, okay. I'm on my way there. The B&B is getting just a little too crowded. Plus, I kinda miss the mansion." she said. "Oh, and that's another thing for you to not tell your grandmother."

"I'm so telling her if you're not here in ten minutes." Regina gasped in indignation.

"No fair!"

"Is so!"

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

"Is not!"

"Better hurry mom. Clock's ticking." Henry sing-songed. Regina huffed and hurried to her car, fumbling with her keys as she did so.

*9.5 minutes later*

Regina sped into the driveway of the Mills-Gold mansion and jumped out of the car. She raced into the house and up the stairs, bursting into Henry's room just as his phone timer went off, signalling that she had just barely made it. She mock-glared at him as she huffed for breath.

"Wow mom, I didn't think you could _actually_ get here from the Rabbit Hole in ten minutes." Henry said. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Was that your attempt at staying in Storybrooke?" she asked. Her son grinned sheepishly at her, making her roll her eyes fondly.

"I drag raced as a teenager sweetie. I could've gotten here from the Rabbit Hole in _five_ minutes." she winked, making Henry's mouth drop open.

"Aha! I knew you were in those drag races too!" Regina spun around at the sound of her mother's voice. Cora was standing with her arms crossed and triumphant look on her face, though it was less intimidating since both her hair and makeup were messed up.

"Yes, I was. But you can't punish me now. The statute of limitations has run out. By the way, you might wanna fix your hair and makeup before Zel and Neal get home." Regina teased. Cora pursed her lips, subconciously running a hand over her hair. Regina laughed.

"Where is daddy anyway?" she asked.

"Downstairs making dinner." her mother answered, messing with her hair in front of the hallway mirror. Regina nodded before slinging an arm around her son's shoulders and then grabbing her mother's hand and dragging them both downstairs where Rumple was in fact cooking. Cora was soon at his side, and he wasted no time putting his arm around her and pulling her into his side.

"See, they're not so bad when they just do that." Regina relented, gesturing at her parents from her seat at the dining room table.

"Yeah, it's just when they start doing other stuff that it gets gross." Henry agreed, glancing over at his grandparents. Soon, dinner was ready, and the four all sat down to dinner together. After dinner, they retired to the living room to watch a movie.

*2 hours later*

Zelena, Neal, and Tamara returned to the mansion late that night, all tipsy but not drunk. However, they stumbled into the living room to find Cora asleep on top of her husband on the couch. Regina was sprawled out on a comforter on the floor in front of the couch, Henry nestled into her side. The three of them all smiled, and Neal and Zelena moved toward their sleeping family.

Both pairs were covered with blankets, not to wake until the morning.


	13. Chapter 13

Regina woke up the next day to a sore back. She blinked slowly, allowing the sleep to fade away before looked around. The couch that she distinctly remembered her parents being on when she fell asleep was now empty, and the spot that her son had occupied was cold. She pushed the blanket, that she did not remember having when she fell asleep, off and stood up. The smell of fresh bacon and apple pancakes hit her, and she smiled before walking into the kitchen.

Her parents were laughing and cooking together. Her brother and son were playfully wrestling. Her sister and soon to be sister-in-law were laughing over coffee. A perfect family picture if she ever saw one. Of course, soon Neal and Tamara would be in their own house. Zelena would be moving into Robin's house. And she and Henry...well, she still hadn't quite decided what was going to happen on that front.

On the one hand, she wanted to stay. Her parents, whom she loved dearly, were here. Her brother and sister were here. Granny was here, Grumpy, her friends at the bar. Even Tink, Ruby, and Lily, all of whom she was so not on good terms with. But she wanted to be. She was even having a desire to be friends with Emma again. And then there was Mal...

On the other hand, she wanted to go back to New York. She had a wonderful job at Ralph Lauren. Ursula, Cruella, Aurora, Merida, Kathryn, Phillip, Jefferson. Ariel...what was she supposed to do about the wonderful relationships she'd built with these wonderful people? Was she just supposed to forget about them?

She shook her head to rid herself of the worrisome thoughts before joining her family.

"So, who put that hideous blanket, that everyone knows I hate, over me last night?" she asked, gaining everyone's attention. The blanket was a knitted thing, a picture of an animated Snow White (whom Regina had always hated) stitched into the middle. Zelena had taken up knitting one summer and had made the blanket for Regina as a joke. She always claimed to hate the thing, but she had a begrudging fondness for it.

"That would be me." Zelena grinned good naturedly. "I just know how much you _loove_ it." Regina mock glared at her before kissing her parents and sitting down with the two other women at the table.

"So, what are we gossiping about?" she questioned.

"We're taking bets actually." Tamara smiled.

"On what?"

"Well, not to make you uncomfortable or anything, but when Ruby and Lily will get together." Zelena answered. Regina laughed, surprising both women.

"Zellie dear, where have you been? That bet was created when I was thirteen years old." she said. Zelena's eyes widened.

"And they haven't gotten together?" she asked. Regina shook her head.

"Nope. Let's see if I can remember correctly who bet on when...Emma said two years...Tink said four...Belle said five...Elsa and Anna both said three...Mary Margaret bet seven...Ashley said six...and Mal and I both agreed on twelve." she recalled. By that time everyone in the kitchen was staring at her with open mouths.

"What?" she asked when the gaping began to unnerve her.

"Where should I begin?" Rumple grumbled. Cora lightly smacked him, shaking her head.

"What made you bet almost twice the highest number that other people bet?" Henry asked with a laugh. Regina smiled.

"I know my friends sweetheart. They're stubborn and couldn't see their feelings for one another if it hit them in the face." she laughed.

"A better question is why you were betting at all at thirteen, let alone on when two other thirteen year olds would start dating." her father muttered.

"You started dating me when I was twelve." Cora reminded him.

"Yeah, but that was different." he replied.

"How so?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow.

" _You_ are not my daughter."

"And my father couldn't have cared less." she conceded. "But still. You know Regina and Emma began dating at thirteen." His eyes went huge.

"WHAT?! NO ONE TOLD ME THAT!"

"Oops." Cora mumbled, taking a long sip of her coffee.

"WHO AUTHORIZED THAT?!" The children all had to stifle a laugh as Rumple's eyes slowly turned to his wife, who was still slowly sipping her coffee. She looked at her husband with a sheepish grin before setting her coffee down and taking off through the house.

"On that note, I'm gonna go meet Ariel for breakfast." Regina said as Rumple began to chase Cora around.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna go too. I'd rather not see how I was created." Zelena agreed, standing. Neal and Tamara also agreed, and the four of them and Henry shouted goodbyes to the other two as they left.

"Mom's gonna have a fit when she realizes we left her with all that food cooked." Regina suddenly said.

The others simply burst into laughter.

 **So sorry this one's short. It's kinda just a filler until I decide what I'm going to do next, so hope you enjoyed this little bit of family fluffiness!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I believe that I have come to a decision on the whole Mermaid Queen versus Dragon Queen issue of this story, and I'm not quite sure if it's going to make people angry with me or not, but whatever. Anyway, this is pretty much another filler chapter but it reveals Regina's decision, so there's that even though it's incredibly short.**

Regina slid into the booth across from Ariel, smiling gently at her girlfriend, who smiled back at her.

"You okay?" the redhead asked. Regina nodded.

"Yeah, just tired." she answered, half truthfully.

"Okay..." Regina gave her concerned better half a reassuring smile, hoping to assuage her fears at least a little. She seemed to succeed because Ariel smiled, and the two managed to have a nice morning together before Regina had to go play maid of honor for Tamara and Neal, both of which had convinced her to be in their wedding even though she had backed out of Zelena's.

"Yes...no...look, I don't care about your private life, you're supposed to be focused on my brother's private life right now. His wedding. Which you're supposed to be catering." Regina snapped into the phone. She exchanged a few more words with the catering before hanging up, glaring at her phone.

"I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that glare again." a laughing voice snapped the ebony haired woman out of her thoughts, and she looked over at Mal.

"Do you enjoy showing up at the most inconvenient times ever for everyone, or is it just for me?"

"It's just for you." the blonde grinned cheekily, making her ex-girlfriend roll her eyes. "So, have you decided that you want to sleep with me again, or am I going to have to take more measures to ensure you choose Storybrooke over Manhattan?"

"I think I've made my decision, but I'm trying to figure out how to go about it. I don't want to break hearts, but I know that no matter what, _someone's_ heart will be broken." Regina answered easily, flipping through the seating arrangements for the wedding.

"So you gonna tell me your decision or..." Regina glanced over at her again, a coy smile playing on her lips.

"You'll find out the same time as everyone else dear. _After_ the wedding." Her coy smile turned into a huge grin when the blonde pouted.

"Reginaaaa." Mal whined.

"Maaaaallll." Regina mocked. "It's only a couple of days." Mal sobered then, looking straight at her.

"Regina, I don't want to wait only to have my heart broken." she said seriously. Regina stared back at her, brown eyes meeting blue.

"I don't plan on breaking your heart again Mal." she replied, just as seriously. A slow smile spread across Mal's lips, and soon she was kissing Regina passionately.

"I love you." she breathed.

"I love you too." Regina told her, chasing her mouth. "But we have to wait. I have to let Ariel down easy. But I've made arrangements that might make it a little easier on her." Mal nodded, kissing her one more time before finally releasing her.

"I should probably go before I can't control myself." she said. Regina nodded.

"That's probably a good idea. I'll see you later?"

"You know it."


	15. Chapter 15

**Well everyone, we have almost reached the end of this story. I'm sorry if it didn't turn out very good, but this is the first time I've tried to do something so AU with OUAT, so hopefully with time my AU writing will get better. To those I've accidently converted into Mermaid Queen shippers, I am so sorry! But I'm thinking about maybe writing a Mermaid Queen story that is clear Mermaid Queen from beginning to end if anyone is interested in that, just let me know. I also have a Swan Queen versus Dragon Queens story in mind that will end as Dragon Queen as well as an Evil Charming story in mind. Anyway, enough with my ranting. Enjoy the chapter, and please leave your thoughts.**

Neal and Tamara's wedding had finally arrived, and there was no one happier about it than Regina. In the beginning it had been because she wanted to leave as quickly as possible to avoid having to confront her residual emotions towards the people of the town. But now it was because she just wanted to be with Mal again. Her plans were set for Ariel's surprise after the breakup, and she hoped with everything she had that it would help ease the pain for the redhead.

"Are you ready?" Neal asked from the doorway. She turned to face him, her red maid of honor dress swishing around her knees.

"As I'll ever be." she nodded. They had been skating around the topic of his wedding ever since her first day back.

"Regina, I know you think that Tamara and I are moving too fast, but I know she's the one." he told her.

"I'm sorry about what I said my first day back. As long as you're happy, I'm happy for you." she apologized immediately, confusing him.

"What? You're apologizing? Man...that Ariel must have really done a number on you." he snorted. Regina bit her lip.

"Yeah." she said, leaving it at that. They heard music begin to play, and Neal looked over his shoulder.

"That's my cue to get out there." he said. "See you in a bit Gina." And with that, he left to take his place at the alter. She took a deep breath, staring at herself in the mirror. It was now or never. She heard the music begin to play and hurried to take her place behind the bridesmaids. The four women Tamara had chosen glided beautifully down the aisle to the alter with the groomsmen that had been chosen. It was then time for her to make her way down with the best man, who happened to be Robin. She smiled as she linked her arm with his, her eyes drifting over to her mother and sister, who were in the front row.

Finally, Tamara was escorted down the aisle by Rumple, who had graciously accepted when asked to escort her. The wedding flew by for Regina, and before she knew it the justice of the peace was pronouncing her brother and Tamara man and wife. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rumple grin before spontaneously kissing Cora's cheek, making the woman in question smile brightly, and suddenly she couldn't understand why she'd ever thought that leaving again was even an option.

She followed the others back down the aisle in a daze, waiting until it was finally time for the reception. Ariel found her before she could even begin to gather her thoughts.

"Hey! Are you excited? We finally get to go home!" the redhead grinned, her green eyes sparkling.

"Uhh, Ari...about that..." Regina began. Ariel's face fell.

"You're staying, aren't you?" She could read Regina like a book. Regina bowed her head.

"Yes." she whispered. "I can't leave again. It was hard the first time, and now...it would be even harder. I can't leave my family behind."

"We're your family too Regina." Ariel said, her tone filled with hurt.

"I know, and you know that I love all of you. But these people...I grew up with them. I've spent most of my life building relationships with them, and...I can't just give that up again." Regina insisted, her eyes pleading with the other woman to understand.

"It's Mal, isn't it? She's the one that convinced you to stay." Ariel stated. Slowly, Regina nodded.

"I'm still in love with her. You know that." she pointed out gently. "But, I know you're still in love with Eric too. This is your chance to try again with him." Ariel shook her head.

"Regina, I'm in love with you too you know. You said you loved me!"

"I do Ariel! But...I love her. I've loved her since I was 15 years old. She's my son's other mother. For God's sake, we actually _planned_ a wedding when we were eighteen. All we were waiting for was for both of us to turn magic number 21 so we could legally drink at our wedding. You can't tell me that if you could have that again with Eric that you wouldn't want to at least _try_!" Regina cried. With tears in her eyes Ariel surprised Regina by nodding.

"I would." she admitted in a whisper. "And I would want you to be happy for me and let me try. So I will do the same for you." Letting out a little sob, Regina threw her arms around Ariel, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you." she whispered over and over. She motioned to someone behind Ariel before pulling back. "Now I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Ariel asked, confused. Regina nodded before gently turning the other woman around. The redhead gasped when she saw the man standing before her.

"Eric?!" The young man stepped forward, taking her hands into his own.

"Regina called me and said that you still love me and that she knew I still love you too." he explained. "I came right away." Ariel looked back at Regina over her shoulder. The ebony haired woman gave her a little nod, and Ariel threw her arms around Eric. Smiling to herself, Regina left them to get reacquainted and stood on the sidelines of the makeshift dance floor. There were several couples dancing, but her parents in particular caught her eye.

They were spinning happily around the dancefloor without a care in the world, laughing and stealing kisses just because they wanted to. It made her realize how much she had missed being around them all the time. As much as she complained about their displays of affection, she had missed it terribly. She knew her parents loved each other, and that was more than many of the other people in the world could say.

Soon her eyes drifted to her sister, who was dancing with her husband. Robin was one of her best friends, and she hadn't even told him she was leaving. She'd been so angry at the world that she had just decided that no one outside of her family truly needed to know until she was already gone, which hadn't been fair. Zelena had been upset the day she'd left, yelling and screaming at her that it wasn't fair and that if she left, she would never be forgiven. Much different than her mother, who had broken down in tears. She realized in that moment how selfish she'd been in leaving only because her girlfriend hadn't wanted her to.

She then turned to find Neal and Tamara in the crowd. They were also dancing, lost in each other as though they were the only ones around. Regina hadn't gotten to meet her brother's new wife until two weeks before their wedding. She hadn't gotten to know the woman before she became a part of the family. Of course she'd found out a few things, enough to already love her like a sister, but she didn't really _know_ her.

Finally, her eyes landed on her son. He was running around with some of the kids from town. She'd taken him away from everything he'd ever known. Her mother had been his favorite person in the entire world before they'd left. He always wanted her to play with him or just to spend time with her and his grandfather. Then there other times where he only wanted his cool aunt or cool uncle or his other mother. She'd taken all of that away from him, and she hadn't even realized it until it was too late.

"You should get out of your own head." She jumped with a little scream before glaring at the blonde beside her.

"Must you always do that?" Mal grinned.

"It's quite fun, so yes." she said cheekily. Regina rolled her eyes, but a fond smile made its way onto her face.

"I broke things off with Ariel." she announced quietly. Things were silent for a little while between them before Mal finally spoke up.

"So would it be too early for me to kiss you right now?" Regina threw her head back and laughed.

"No dear, I don't think it's too early." she answered as she spotted Ariel and Eric sharing a kiss of their own. With no warning, the ebony haired woman was dipped down, and Mal covered her mouth with her own. When she was brought back up, she realized that the entire backyard had gone silent and that everyone was staring at them. Neal was the one to break the silence, turning to look at Zelena.

"You owe me fifty bucks!" he announced, holding out his hand. Regina's mouth dropped open as people started handing others varying sums of money. Even her New York friends and Henry. The only ones who weren't were her parents.

"You two are literally the only people in this backyard that I like right now." she stated, crossing her arms over her chest as she addressed her parents.

"Oh we bet too. Your father owes me something, just not money." Cora grinned as Rumple wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Eww! Too much information mom!" Regina shrieked.

"We seriously need to find a way to get a filter for the things you say around us ma." Neal informed her, looking a little green.

"Oh please, it's not like all of you don't know about this kind of thing." Cora rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but you're our parents. We do not want to hear about the things that go on in the privacy of your bedroom!" Zelena cried. Rumple laughed quietly into his wife's hair, amused by the entire scene.

"Well, your father and I don't want to hear about what goes on in the privacy of _your_ bedrooms either, so I suppose we're even." Cora retorted swiftly.

"What?" Zelena asked, suddenly confused.

"Dear, you've been going on about your wedding night for a week. We may be old, but we _can_ hear." her mother answered.

"You guys heard all that, and dad didn't immediately go after Robin?" Neal snorted in disbelief. Cora felt Rumple smirk into her hair before he answered their son.

"She distracted me." he deadpanned.

"Eww!" the three kids shrieked together, making everyone else in the yard laugh.

"Oh God guys, get a room!" Regina said as her parents kissed in front of them.

"We have one upstairs." Cora replied.

"And I think we'll go to it." Rumple decided, sliding his hands dangerously low on his wife's body.

"Daddy! We are in public!" Zelena whisper yelled.

"Really? I was almost positive I was at _my_ house in _my_ backyard with _my_ wife." he replied, deadpan, making Cora laugh lightly.

"Yeah, at _my_ wedding." Neal countered.

"Which wouldn't be occuring if your father and I hadn't made you." Cora pointed out.

"We're not winning this, are we?" Regina sighed.

"Afraid not dear." Mal replied, popping up beside her once again.

"Jesus Christ, would you stop that!" the ebony haired woman said. Mal's only response was to grin as Cora and Rumple escaped to the house.

"May I have a dance?" the blonde questioned, holding her hand out to Regina. A smile made its way onto the woman in question's face as she placed her hand into Mal's.

"You may."

And as they began to dance, Regina finally felt like she was _truly_ back home.

 **I'm sorry if the breakup felt too unemotional or too quick. Hopefully the family fluffiness eased any ill feelings about the breakup. Not too much farther to go with this story. Maybe a few more chapters and an epilogue. Leave your thoughts!**


	16. Epilogue

**I literally have like no excuse for why I have been gone so long guys. I have posted, or even really worked on, any of my stories since September, and I don't know why. For a while I lost the motivation to write anything, which piled onto my writer's block, so I'm not even sure if any of you out there are still reading but, if you are I hope you enjoy the ending of the story. Thanks for reading and leaving all the wonderful reviews!**

Two years had passed since Regina Mills finally stepped foot back in her hometown. After the events of her brother's wedding, Regina's friends from New York had gone home, some with ill feelings, some with looks that said they had known the outcome all along. Two days later, Regina had extended an olive branch to all of her old friends, Emma included, and Ruby and Lily had announced that they had finally begun to date.

The looks of shock on their faces when all of their friends began handing Mal and Regina money had been priceless.

Six months after that, the two had surprised everyone by eloping, and Zelena and Robin had announced that they were expecting their first child together, and Regina was every bit the excited aunt.

She and Mal were also going strong once again. Mal had moved into the mansion with her and Henry for a while, but the two of them were currently searching for a house of their own...because it was now their wedding day.

Regina stood in front of her full length mirror, running her hands over her wedding dress. Her hair was perfect, and her makeup was bright and bold. Her nerves, however, were anything but perfect.

"Gina, you've got to calm down. You're upsetting Hazel." Zelena admonished lightly, cradling her eight month old daughter.

"Sorry Zellie." Regina sighed, fiddling with the necklace Mal had given her for their anniversary.

"What's wrong? You're not getting cold feet are you?"

"No!" Regina cried, a horrified look taking over her face. "Of course not!"

"Then what is it? Why are you so nervous?" Zelena asked gently.

"I'm afraid that I might mess this up. She's so important to me, and I don't want to do something stupid like the last time we were together. She was afraid of losing me, and I overreacted and left her." her sister replied miserably. Zelena stood and moved to hug the younger girl as best as possible with a baby in her arms.

"It's gonna be okay. I know you're scared. But that's just part of growing up. Marriage is scary. _Love_ is scary. In fact, I would be worried if you _weren't_ scared. But dear little sister, I know that you love Mal and that she loves you. And that's all you need." she told her, kissing her cheek. "Now let's get you married to the love of your life."

-Meanwhile-

Mal was pacing nervously in another room, making the other two women in the room dizzy.

"Mal, please stop." Ruby moaned, leaning her head against the back of the couch.

"I'm so scared!" the blonde cried. "What if I can't provide for her? What if I screw it up again?"

"Look, you've really gotta stop with the what ifs." Lily told her. "You're here. Your fiancee loves you. You're getting married, and that's that. Now quit pacing and get out there so your future brother-in-law can walk you down the aisle."

"You're so aggressive babe." Ruby said. "Couldn't you have been a little more compassionate?"

"She doesn't need compassion right now, she needs someone to tell her to quit being a baby." Lily replied.

"Lily!"

"No, no, it's okay. She's right." Mal cut in. "I'm ready."

"Well that's good to hear." Neal's voice came from the doorway. "Regina would have a break down if you weren't, and I wouldn't be able to get back at you for hurting my little sister." The _again_ went without saying. Faintly, the four of them heard music begin to play, and Lily and Ruby jumped up.

"Well, that's our cue." Ruby said, dragging her wife out of the room. Neal held out his arm, and Mal took it with a deep breath.

"Let's do this." Ruby and Lily were Mal's bridesmaids, and Ariel and Kathryn had agreed to be Regina's. Once Ruby and Lily were at the alter, Ashley and Sean's two year old daughter Alex made her way down as the first flower girl.

Finally, the bride's music began to play for the first time. Slowly, Neal escorted his soon to be sister-in-law down the aisle, kissing her cheek once they made it and going to sit beside his mother and wife. For Mal, the next moments passed in a blur. Ariel and Kathryn came down the aisle followed by Zelena holding Hazel as the second flower girl and acting as Regina's matron of honor herself.

It seemed like an eternity before the bride's music began to play again. Regina appeared in the back doorway of the mansion on her father's arm, and Mal could swear that her heart stopped.

She was dressed in a flowing, sleeveless white gown with a three foot train. The waistline of the dress was adorned in simple light purple jewels that sparkled in the light of the setting sun, and her hair was done up in a simple French twist with light purple lilies woven throughout. As she walked down the aisle with her father, Mal couldn't help but feel as though she were in a dream that could end at any second.

Rumple handed Regina off, kissing her cheek before going to sit down beside Cora.

"You look breathtaking." Mal whispered as the justice of the peace began to read the traditional introductory things.

"Thank you my love. You do too." Regina whispered back with a grin. Mal reached out, grasping her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze as they listened to the rest of the perfunctory speech.

"Now, I believe the brides have written their own vows." the preacher said, gesturing for the two of them to begin. Mal took a deep breath before beginning.

"Regina...I can't even find words to describe the way you make me feel. The way you've always made me feel. When you left, I felt like I would never feel anything again. But then you came back, and it was like everything was brighter, even though you were still angry with me. And when we finally got back together...it was like someone had flipped a switch. Everything had meaning again, and I felt the same way I did when we were seventeen and we were on top of the world. And now, there is absolutely nothing I want more than to call you my wife." By that point, Regina's eyes were filled with tears, and she was struggling to keep them from falling as she started to speak.

"Leaving you was the hardest decision I've ever made, and I wish I could say that I regret it, but I can't. Because if I hadn't, we likely wouldn't be here right now. We wouldn't have been able to grow the way we have if I had stayed. And now that we have, our relationship has grown so much stronger, and I love you more than words can describe. You are my best friend, my son's mother, and the other half of my heart and soul. I know that I would never be able to walk away from you again because as painful as it was back then, I know it would be even more painful now, after everything we've been through together. And I know that this isn't exactly the wedding we planned when we were seventeen, mostly because my dear mother and sister are control freaks and completely took over, but it's perfect simply because I will soon be able to call you my wife and be yours." There was no longer a single dry eye in the crowd, though Cora and Zelena were trying to decide whether or not they should be offended by the control freaks comment.

"And now, by the power vested in me by the state of Maine, I pronounce you woman and wife. You may kiss the bride!" the justice of the peace announced. Regina wasted no time in throwing her arms around Mal's neck as the blonde pulled her forward. She could faintly hear cheering around them from their family and friends, but her focus was entirely on her wife (and God how she loved the way that sounded). When they finally pulled away and turned to face everyone, their hearts were pounding with anticipation of finally being able to live out their dreams.

They'd finally found their love among pain.

 **Cheesy ending, I know, but I had no idea where to go with this story anymore. I know many of you are likely not happy with the ending, but I hope you enjoyed reading anyway.**


End file.
